When it comes to survey sites, my initial attitude is always, convince me you’re legit first. There’s just so many survey sites out there all competing for our time and participation. Why would you want to waste your time on a scam site when there are so many scam sites out there?
Whenever I find a survey site, I first do my due diligence and try to learn as much about is as I can. That involves researching blogs, forums… and yes, reading the actual site!
To help you with your own research, here’s my Survey Money Machines review. Is Survey Money Machines legit, or is Survey Money Machines a scam? I’ll be answering those questions in this review.
But before we get to it, I thought I’d first share some of the things that give me a negative first impression about a site. These things aren’t deal-breakers per se, but I do consider them warning signs. If you proceed, proceed with caution. These don’t necessarily apply to Survey Money Machines, but hopefully, the list helps you assess the site, and the many others that are available for you to try out.
Survey Site Red Flags - Do These Apply to Survey Money Machines?
Bad Design
You can tell a lot about a company by looking through their website. This isn’t a case of judging a book by its cover. Good web design isn’t some superficial thing; it is actually really important. Good design helps with things like navigation and usability.
And I always like to say, good design i when don’t notice it. Whenever we notice something it’s usually because there’s something that isn’t quite right.
Unclear Content
This covers all written content in a site. Sometimes, sites will try to be deceptive. They won’t lie outright, but they can withhold certain info that they think might turn people off. So if there’s a piece of missing info that I think would be important to me as a potential member, I consider it a red flag.
Outrageous Claims
I’ll say it straight-up: you won’t get rich using survey sites. It’s just impossible, hard stop. If a survey site tells you that you can send your kids to college from the money you earn, you know they’re making that up.
Non-Outrageous Claims
Now, listen, scammers are really smart people. They know people are looking out for outrageous claims. So, some of them do the opposite: they tell you that their site is just good for earning a few bucks. While that’s technically true for all survey sites, a scam site will say that to lure you into a false sense of security. So always be vigilant!
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get to my Survey Money Machines review!
They Ask for Payment
I know survey sites are businesses, but I should be making money off them, not the other way around. Survey sites make the bulk of their money when companies hire them to conduct surveys. Why do they have to charge me? This is pretty much the biggest red flag for me. Since they’re a website, it’s somewhat easy for them to fold up and disappear when they get my (and many other unfortunate people’s) money.
Survey Money Machines: First Impression
The site claims to have been founded by Hailey Gates, a home-based working mom. I’m usually skeptical about sites that claim to have been started by work-from-home moms. Now, I’m not saying they can’t start businesses, it’s just that the work-from-home mom is the most commonly made-up story, in my experience.
Just the same, I tried googling her name and found a woman named Hailey Gates, but that person is a model, actress, and journalist. That’s a lot of hats, and I doubt work-from-home mom is one of them. I also did a reverse image search, and the picture of Hailey Gates in the Survey Money Machines site is actually a stock photo. So yeah, not a good first impression.
Plot Twist!
It turns out, Survey Money Machines is not a survey site - instead, it’s a middleman that links you to other survey sites. Say what, now?
When you first check out their site, you’d assume it was a regular survey site. But that’s not what it is. On the right side of the site, you sign up to get access to their Survey Company List.
Remember what I said about a site needing clear content? Well, Survey Money Machines has a lot of content… so much that it actually ends up being a chore to read through all of it (and I actually enjoy reading).
I can’t second-guess what they were thinking when they made this site, but my hunch is that they’re trying to overwhelm you with words so by the time you figure out you don’t want to use the site, it’s too late. You’re already invested in it, so you might as well go all the way.
How Survey Money Machines Works
The process mirrors that of regular survey sites: you sign up and provide your complete info. Survey Money Machines will then link you to survey you can take.
Given the amount of information and resources on survey sites, both in this forum and elsewhere, I wasn’t sure why I needed a third party site to recommend sites to me. But it is what it is. And at least it’s free. Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be if you had to pay for this service?
Spam, Spam Everywhere
If you do sign up for Survey Money Machines, make sure you create an email account solely for use here. That’s because Survey Money Machines loves sending you emails. Granted, some of these are pretty important - like notifications about possible surveys you can take. But there’s a big chance those notifications will get lost in a sea of junk messages. I love spam - on my plate, not my email inbox.
Earning Potential on Survey Money Machines
Technically, zero. Survey Money Machines won’t pay you - those sites that you take surveys on will be the ones paying you. And, of course, your earnings will depend on how much those sites pay. But the mysterious Ms. Gates claims you can earn around $2 to $5 per survey on the lower end of the scale. Once you’ve done a certain number of surveys, the site will then assign you higher-paying ones. Okay, two things:
1. I have yet to find a site that pays $5 on the low end. There are $5 surveys, and I’ve done my share of those, but it’s not lower-tier. This makes me doubt whether they can even assign me higher-paying ones. (Full disclosure: I didn’t stick around long enough to find out)
2. Why do I have to wait before I can get assigned higher-paying surveys? Why can’t I just do my own research and go straight to the sites I’ve found to pay well? (Which is actually what all of us are already doing)
The Verdict: Legit or Scam?
It’s hard to call a site a scam when they don’t take your money, or promise to give you money. Instead, I’ll simply say that you’re better off not using Survey Money Machines. In some cases, I’d even say it’s a waste of time.
But it’s your call whether you’d like to go ahead and try it. You don’t have to pay for the survey, so the only thing you’ll be losing is time. (And we do know how important and precious our time is)
Survey Money Machines Screenshots
Click to Zoom
Your Turn
This review is based on my own experiences using Survey Money Machines. Now it’s your turn to share! Have you tried the site? Did you take surveys you could have gotten outside of Survey Money Machines?
Let’s hear your stories!
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